Adoption- What It Takes

Our friends adopted from Guatemala.
40K. Easy as pie.

Domestic adoptions are difficult and very costly. Foreign adoptions are easier, but either way you will need an attorney. You will have to go through background checks and be approved.

You could easily make an appointment with Social Services to discuss the process... this is what they do!

The first step would be to contact either a reputable adoption attorney in your state or a recommended agency (depending on your personal preference). My husband & I chose to adopt with the guidance of a well-respected adoption attorney in our area. We had a consultation with him, retained him, and he then advised us & guided us through the process (step by step). Before you can place ads and actually try to adopt (look for a birthmother), you must be approved. From what I understand, each state has its own set of adoption laws and approval process. In our state (NY) the approval process includes background checks, fingerprinting and health approval. After we were approved by the state as 'adoption-worthy', we established an 800-number (which rang on my cell phone) and placed adoption ads in newspapers (only in states in which it is legal to place adoption ads). Then we waited for the calls to come....and (with the help of our attorney) weeded out the frauds/scammers....Ironically enough, our birthmother found us through one of the least expensive ads we placed (under $100), and she decided to choose us after speaking with me only once. (Some ads cost us hundreds - up to about $900 for one ad!) The entire process, when explained by our attorney, sounded so complicated! However, he told us to just take things one step at a time....before long everything fell into place. (However, it did cost quite a bit between attorney fees, advertisement fees, documentation fees, etc.....but totally worth it!) We flew across the country to Seattle, WA when our daughter was born, spent a week in a Seattle area hotel with our baby, and flew her home. She just turned 5, and she's the joy of our lives! Adoption is awesome!

I don't know about Iowa (even though I'm from there!) but in Illinois, to be able to adopt you HAVE to be state licensed for foster care. It's just one of the steps the state makes you take. To become state licensed you have to have a home study done by an adoption agency in your area. They will come in and interview you in your home, and you'll also have to have psychological testing done and write some things about your family. We also had to have physicals done and be fingerprinted... It's hard to remember back that far, but I think that's about it. It can be a long process if you drag your feet on any of the steps.

Why don't you contact an adoption agency in your area to see what the requirements are for Iowa? I know that Holt International has been in Iowa since I can remember, and that's a long time. I'm sure they could answer your questions.

http://www.holtinternational.org/